Chapter 63: A Brief Parting is Better than a New Marriage

  Months later, Yan Liang recaptured Ancheng. The day after taking Ancheng, Yan Liang ordered the relocation of over 10,000 civilians from Runan to the seven counties in Xinye, where they were organized into agricultural colonies. Man Chong had already selected several barren lands near Xinye for these immigrants to cultivate, emulating Cao Cao's tuntian system. Man Chong was skilled in governance and understood the importance of food supplies, so soon after surrendering to Yan Liang, he proposed establishing agricultural colonies in the vicinity of Xinye. Although Jingzhou had few major battles and boasted a population of one million households, its population had still decreased significantly compared to before the war. The seven counties near Xinye controlled by Yan Liang also had many abandoned fields. What Yan Liang lacked was not land, but people.

  Yan Liang ordered Man Chong to investigate the household registration, and although many escaped households were cleared out, with the current number of able-bodied men in the seven counties of Xin Ye, it was obviously still not enough to support Yan Liang's expansion or launch a long-term campaign. With his historical foresight, Yan Liang naturally thought of using Cao Cao's tuntian system. The indigenous people of Xin Ye had land, but if they were forced to do tuntian, it would inevitably lead to fierce resistance. These refugees from Runan, on the other hand, had no power in the area and were eager to settle down after being frightened by the war, so using them as tuntian people was the best option. At this time, the Battle of Guandu was at a critical moment, and although Runan was in chaos, Cao Cao could not spare any troops to intervene, so Yan Liang was able to drive away Liu Bei with ease and then easily relocate over 10,000 able-bodied men to Xin Ye.

  Three days later, Yan Liang led his victorious army back to Xinye. At the city gate, Xu You and Yi Ji stood waiting to welcome him respectfully. "Congratulations on your triumphant return, General," Xu You said, riding up on horseback and bowing his head in greeting. The other officials, including Yi Ji, also came forward to offer their congratulations, their words and expressions filled with reverence for Yan Liang. Yan Liang smiled faintly and waved his hand, saying, "It was just a small victory, nothing worth boasting about. If not for Mr. Wu's plan to feign weakness, it would have been even harder to defeat Liu Bei." "Haha, General is too kind," Xu You replied with a smile, "it was just a minor trick, and if you hadn't predicted that Liu Biao wouldn't take advantage of the situation to send troops, my plan would have been useless too." Both Yan Liang and Xu You laughed, their spirits high as they entered the city.

  The people of Xinye, who had escaped the war, heard that General Yan Liang had defeated Liu Bei and were overjoyed. Now, hearing that Yan Liang was returning triumphantly, they all rushed to the streets to welcome him. Yan Liang rode his horse slowly, with a calm expression, but with a hint of majesty, nodding to the people who came to greet him. "I heard that General also captured two of Liu Bei's wives in this battle, I wonder how you plan to deal with them?" asked Xu You, who was riding next to Yan Liang. "They are still Liu Xian's women, after all," Yan Liang said briefly, "I'll just have them settled in my mansion." Xu You raised an eyebrow and smiled slyly: "I heard that Liu Xuan's two wives were both beauties, General, you're going to put them in your mansion... aren't you thinking of..." His words were not finished, but Xu You's smile already had a hint of evil intention.

  Yan Liang was taken aback for a moment, then immediately understood the implication of his words. He thought to himself, "This old scoundrel is full of indecent thoughts." Although Mei Gan were indeed beautiful women, Yan Liang's original intention in placing them in the mansion was to better protect them, lest they meet with some mishap and people mistakenly think that he, Yan Liang, lacked magnanimity and couldn't even tolerate two female dependents. "Sir, you speak these words without fear of being overheard by your wife, who will complain about you to me in bed, saying that you are not acting like an elder?" Yan Liang said with a smile. Xu You was taken aback for a moment, then forced out a laugh, his face full of self-derision. "Now Liu Bei has been defeated by the general and become a stray dog, I wonder how many white eyes he will receive from those people when he escapes back to Yuan Shao."

  The laughter subsided, and the topic was diverted from the woman. Yan Liang coldly smiled and said: "Sir, you still don't understand Liu Bei enough, I dare to bet that Liu Bei will not return to Yuan Shao this time." "General, you are right, Liu Bei has just escaped from Yuan Shao, now he has lost again, and he will be too ashamed to go back." Xu You nodded slightly, but muttered: "But Liu Bei is currently surrounded by enemies on all sides, with no way out, except for returning to Yuan Shao, I really don't know where else he can go..." "No need to think about it, it must be Xuzhou." Yan Liang made a decisive judgment, breaking Xu You's speculation. "Xuzhou?" Xu You was slightly surprised, bewildered for a moment, and suddenly enlightened.

  Xuzhou is the easternmost part of Cao's territory, and it belongs to the weakest area under Cao Cao's rule. Due to the excessive killings, the people there have always been resentful towards Cao Cao. At present, with the Battle of Guandu being fought, Cao Cao can only entrust Chen Deng, Zang Ba, and other local powerful families to govern, but in fact, Xuzhou has always been in a semi-independent state. Liu Bei had operated in Xuzhou for many years and had some reputation among the people, and he also had connections with the local powerful families, so it can be said that he had a good "mass foundation". Now if Liu Bei takes advantage of Cao Cao's absence to return to Xuzhou, he may not be able to rely on his previous reputation to stir up trouble. Having thought this through, Xu You couldn't help but show respect for Yan Liang and sighed: "Indeed, as the general said, it seems that Liu Bei has no choice but to go to Xuzhou this time. The general's judgment is really beyond me."

  For Xu You's praise, Yan Liang only smiled. After a few rounds of idle talk, Yan Liang returned to the governor's mansion. At this moment, hearing that Yan Liang had returned, Huang Yueying led a group of servants to welcome him at the door. Turning around the street corner, Yan Liang looked up and saw Huang Yueying in red clothes, looking up and waiting for him with anticipation on her face. A short separation is better than a new marriage, let alone they had just gotten married and Yan Liang had led his troops out to battle. As a newlywed, how could Huang Yueying not miss her husband's return? Yan Liang also missed his little wife, and with a whip of the horse, he was soon in front of her. "Husband..." Huang Yueying said with joy on her face, hurrying down the steps to welcome him. Yan Liang jumped off his horse, walked up to her smiling, and grasped her slender white hand, gently stroking her cheek with his broad palm.

  Huang Yueying's face suddenly flushed with a hint of redness. Although she had already married Yan Liang and experienced the wedding night, being affectionate in front of so many people made her feel embarrassed. With a blush on her face, Huang Yueying whispered: "Husband, there are still people watching." Her shy demeanor added to her breathtaking beauty, causing Yan Liang's heart to flutter with excitement as he recalled their romantic wedding night. Overwhelmed with emotion, Yan Liang suddenly swept Huang Yueying into his arms and strode swiftly towards the inner chamber.